The invention resides in a loading platform system for mounting on vehicles, particularly on trucks, comprising at least one lifting arrangement including two essentially parallel spaced support structures, an essentially plate-like loading platform for lifting and lowering a load and a slide unit adapted to be mounted to the vehicle so as to be slidable back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and supporting at least the lifting arrangement, the loading platform and a lifting and lowering actuating device.
Loading platform systems of this type are known in various forms and are used in connection with trucks to facilitate the unloading of loads from the truck bed at the point of destination onto the surface on which the truck is disposed so that the load can then otherwise be moved to its final destination. The same applies to the loading procedure of a truck that is the load is placed onto the loading platform which is disposed on the road surface, whereupon the loading platform is raised to the level of the truck bed and the load is then moved from the loading platform onto the trucks load bed.
In some loading platform systems, the loading platform can be pivoted from a horizontal to a vertical position to form an end gate for closing the load bed of the truck. The loading platform system then includes a tilt actuation structure by which the loading platform is tilted before and after the loading or unloading procedure.
In other loading platform systems only a single lift actuation devices and also only one load lifting and lowering arrangement are provided. Additionally, a tilting mechanism may be provided, which, however, is capable of tilting the platform only by a few degrees so as to tilt the free end of the loading platform down into close proximity with the road surface so that loads can be moved from and onto the loading platform without having to move them over a threshold. In this case, the loading platform can generally be folded in its center about an axis extending transverse to the longitudinal vehicle axis, whereby its length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be reduced to about one half. This is true whether the loading platform does or does not include a tilting actuation device and a tilting arrangement. In this way, that is, in a folded state, the loading platform can be moved under the vehicle's loading bed so that it does not project from the rear of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle. Such loading systems which are also called folding loading platform systems are in use in various forms.
These loading platform systems are generally custom-installed on trucks or they are installed on the frame of a vehicle together with the vehicle body if the vehicle is delivered without body. On one hand, the manufacturers of loading platform systems are generally not the manufacturers of the vehicle bodies and usually not the manufacturers of the trucks. It is furthermore known that the chassis of different motor vehicles of different manufacturers are usually quite distinct so that the systems need to be adapted to the various models in order to make the mounting of the system to the vehicle possible. Depending on the type of vehicle such loading platform systems are mounted directly under the structure forming vehicle loading bed. Occasionally, they are mounted on the axles or other components.
The various mounting locations for the loading platform system all require different adaptative structures which are relatively expensive, particularly if the loading platform systems are mounted directly below the vehicle loading bed. Also, the present loading platform systems offer little protection from forces acting on the vehicle equipped with the loading platform system for example from forces caused by being rear-ended by another vehicle. During a rear-ending accident conventional loading platform systems are generally totally destroyed and often cause themselves extensive damage to the vehicle on which the loading platform system is mounted.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a loading platform system of the type as initially described which however can be mounted on a vehicle in a simple manner without the need for expensive mounting structures adapted to the various vehicle types and the various locations where the loading platform is to be mounted. It should be easily possible to mount such a loading platform system on vehicles after manufacture, that is when the vehicle has already been in use, without the need for expensive conversion and adaptation measures and it should also be relatively inexpensive to manufacture the system, and installation of the system should be easy and fast.